Return to the Labyrinth
by QueenofKink
Summary: Sarah starts having dreams and seeing a familiar white owl... Is it time for her to return to the Labyrinth?CHAPTER 12 FINALLY UP! Nov 2003
1. The Dream

Part 1  
  
Sarah stood there looking at the familiar scene, the large walls surrounding the labyrinth covered by some kind of plant, the small pond before the great doors into the labyrinth, Sarah smiled remembering the first time she saw that pond, the first time she saw Hoggle. Suddenly the ground started to shake and crumble beneath her feet, before she could move the ground split open and she fell through the hole.  
  
Sarah woke with a start. It was still night outside, she looked out of the window and jumped as she saw a flutter of white at the pane of glass, as quick as it had appeared, it have gone. Sarah lied back in her bed thinking about what happened last year. How she was so foolish she nearly lost her baby brother to the Goblin King, he said he did he out of his love for her, "then why do such a thing" she often thought. Yet how come she found herself thinking about him. She often thought of the friends she made while she was in that place, the thought of them made her smile, her friends Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Diddimus, who helped her defeat Jared, yet the thought of him often came into her mind more of them.  
  
A small growl came from next to her.  
  
"Sorry Merlin" she said as he cuddled into her, "Oh Merlin, Why, Why do I still think about him after all this time?"  
  
She cuddled back into Merlin as tried to sleep, still picturing the scene in her mind of Jared and how he offered her the world. 


	2. 

Part 2  
  
The next time Sarah awoke, sunlight flooded into the room through the window. The smell of bacon filled her nose and lungs.  
  
"Sarah" a female voice shouted, "Sarah, are you up yet?"  
  
"Yes" she replied "Yes, I'm up!"  
  
Sarah lazily climbed out of bed and into some fresh clean clothes. She walked down the stairs and into the Kitchen. Toby was running around the table with the large, red, toy aeroplane that Sarah had bought for him last year for his second birthday. It took her a month's worth of moving lawns and saving up to buy it, but he was worth it. They seemed to get along better now, since what happened in the spring of last year. Although Toby was too young to remember what happened fully, Sarah was sure he could remember parts of what happened, of what Jared did…. Jared.  
  
"I mustn't think about him" Sarah whispered quietly to herself, as she poured herself a bowl of cereal.  
  
"Bacon Sarah?" Asked her Stepmother.  
  
"No thanks" She replied over Toby's shouts of "BACON, BACON, BACON!!!"  
  
Her Stepmother was another person she got along with more than she did. She had really grown up a lot.  
  
"I was thinking about cleaning the attic today" Sarah said as her Father walked in.  
  
"Great" his father said as he kissed his wife.  
  
Sarah used to hate this because she thought that her Stepmother was trying to take her real Mother's place in her heart. Now she was glad that her Stepmother was here as it seemed that it eased her Fathers pain form when her mother died and he seemed to be happy again, which pleased Sarah. A slight smile spread across her face at the scene. She finished her breakfast and headed upstairs.  
  
"Better get started" she said aloud to herself. 


	3. The Crystal

1 Part 3  
  
Sarah had been working hard for several hours, so she took a well-deserved break. She settled herself down on several old cushions that she had discovered and all of a sudden she felt a wave of tiredness come across her.  
  
"Must have worked longer than I thought," she said through a giant yawn.  
  
She looked down at the silver watch on her wrist. The watch that had once belonged to her mother.  
  
"Five thirty, I'm home alone for another three and a half hours"  
  
Her father had taken the rest of the family out with friends. He had asked her if she wanted to go, but she really wanted to get this finished today, or else she never would. So she turned the offer down and went back to work. Now she lay back onto the cushions and closed her eyes, very soon she was sound asleep dreaming of the Labyrinth and Jared.  
  
When she awoke the room was dark and moonlight flowed into the room through the skylight. For a moment she was dazed and didn't know where she was, then she remembered she was in the attic, yet something didn't feel right. She kept her eyes closed for a second, trying to discover what was different, remembering what the room was like when she left it. Suddenly she realised something, she didn't put a blanket over herself, yet she could feel something covering her, she opened her eyes and saw a blur of a minty green silk over her, then she realised it was a dress, one of her costumes that she used to play with.  
  
Something shining across the floor caught her eye, she pulled the dress off her and sat up, a crystal was rolling along the floor towards her.  
  
"Jared" she thought.  
  
As the crystal rolled closer she picked it up, thinking that when she looked into it, it would show her her dreams but instead, looking back at her was not her dreams but more of her nightmares looking back.  
  
"I must go back," She said, looking once again into the crystal.  
  
"But what if it's one of Jared's tricks?" She asked herself  
  
"But I can't risk it, I can risk loosing them!"  
  
And once again she looked into the crystal and saw the scared faces of Ludo, Hoggle and Sir Diddymus crying out for her. 


	4. Returning to the Labyrinth

Just wanted to say thank you to all of those who reviewed my story and those who noticed my spelling mistakes… so as u can see in this part I've corrected them!  
  
Part 4  
  
Sarah stumbled down the steps leading up to the attic and into her parent's bedroom. Not knowing how she made it down the narrow ladders joining the attic to the bedroom, but somehow she did. The bedroom where one year previous Toby was taken from, taken to the castle beyond the Goblin City.  
  
"Jareth!!" She shouted to the large French doors.  
  
"Jareth!!!"  
  
But still there was no reply. Crumpling into a heap on the bedroom floor Sarah began to cry hysterically. Then suddenly she realised what she had to do. She stood facing the doors and shouted out:  
  
"I wish the Goblins would take me away, right now!"  
  
All of a sudden she the doors flew open and a small evil giggling filled the room, next thing Sarah knew she was standing outside of the Labyrinth. Only it was not the Labyrinth she remembered. This one was dark and the walls were starting to crumble and break off. She went to walk through the door when the ground started to shake, just like in her dream. Remembering what happened next in her dream, Sarah ran forwards and into the Labyrinth. 


	5. Part 5

Part 5  
  
Sarah turned to the left and began to run through the dark dingy outer path of the Labyrinth, jumping over stray twigs, branches and fallen rubble. Suddenly she stopped abruptly, it had just dawned on her that she didn't fully know her way through the Labyrinth and there was no way she could make it without her friends help. But then again it was her friends who brought Sarah back into this nightmare. Sarah suddenly noticed something familiar about a small hole in the wall. Peering into the darkness of the hole, Sarah hears a familiar voice.  
  
"Its gone dark!" The voice said "I'll go an 'ave a look!"  
  
Sarah backed out of the was of the entrance to the hole as a small furry worm made its way out of the hole and onto the small ledge in front of it.  
  
"'allo" said the little blue furry worm as it turned back to the hole and shouted inside "Come out here! Look! Look its Sarah!"  
  
A small pink worm popped its small head out of the hole and looked around, it slowly edged its way forward so that its body had fully emerged from the hole and it stood next to the blue worm and stood beside it.  
  
"Thank the Lord!" said the worm. It sounded like the blue worm only more feminine "Its Sarah! Sarah's come to save us! Come inside and have a nice cuppa!"  
  
"I can't!" replied Sarah "I need to find out what's doing this, and I need to find Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Diddymus!"  
  
Sarah faced forwards, put her hands up into the air and walked confidently forwards through what seemed to be the wall. Walking onwards she retraced her steps that she did one year pervious. As she walked, Sarah let her mind drift. She thought about Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Diddymus, thinking what kind of trouble where they in. She blamed herself, if only she had never said them words for the Goblins to take Toby away, or maybe she should of agreed with Jareth, maybe she should have taken the crystal and her dreams and let Jareth rule her.  
  
"No!" She told herself aloud interrupting her thoughts "I did the right thing! I know I did!"  
  
She said this with such confidence, yet there was a small amount of doubt in her mind. Right at the back, in a small space she thought she should have given into his powers.  
  
Sarah noticed that the walls of the Labyrinth had changed. They used to be quite nice in this part of the Labyrinth, with carvings and perfectly sculptured walls. But now, now it was a mass of ruins and rubble. 


	6. the Oubliette

Part 6  
  
"How am I supposed to remember the way if it keeps changing?" Sarah asked herself as she came to a dead end.  
  
She turned round and was about to continue on.  
  
"I'm well and truly lost!" She admitted "Or am I?"  
  
Sarah turned around quickly and saw that she was facing a wall with two doors in front. She spun round again and noticed a wall had appeared and she let a small smile cross her face, she wasn't lost.  
  
Sarah turned back to the door only to recognise that the funny looking guards were not there but the doors were slightly ajar. Pushing the right- hand side door fully open, Sarah braced herself and walked through the doorway.  
  
Suddenly the ground gave way beneath her and Sarah felt hundreds of hands all over her body.  
  
"Which way do u want to go?" Asked a croaky voice.  
  
"Down please!" Said Sarah, her voice shaking slightly with fear.  
  
"Going down!" Said another voice, more soothing than the last.  
  
Sarah felt the hands loosen their grip and she began to fall, feeling the fingertips brushing against her body. Suddenly everything was dark as Sarah landed in the Oubliette.  
  
"I wish Hoggle was here!" Sarah said tearfully. She started to grope around in the dark and dirt looking for the door lying on the floor, when she felt thousands of tiny little legs crawling up her arms. Brushing what ever it was off, Sarah found the door and put it up against the wall, opened it and suddenly the dark, gloomy Oubliette was filled with light.  
  
Sarah stepped out of the Oubliette and into the underground passage. Carved into the stone walls of the passageway were faces, the last time Sarah had come here the faces spoke and told her that she was going the wrong way. Hoggle had said they were a false alarm and just to ignore them. However Sarah couldn't ignore them, as this time the faces, they looked different, like they were in pain. As Sarah noticed this the ground started to shake and part of the roof started to cave in.  
  
"I must get out of here!" Sarah said to herself as she walked down another passageway, which was still in ruins off the cleaners from the last time Sarah entered the Labyrinth. Sarah came to a ladder and she climbed up it. 


	7. part 7

Part 7  
  
As Sarah's head popped out of the large stone urn that was at the top of the ladders she expected to see the beautiful green trees and bushes, perfectly sculptured to be the walls of the labyrinth. But instead the trees and bushes were a dark brown, and in some parts the leaves had died and fell off leaving bare patches and twigs sticking out. Stepping completely out of the urn, Sarah looked around at the disaster and chaos around. Trying to retrace her steps, Sarah followed the paths through the Labyrinth, dodging out of the way of the stray twigs that were clawing at her face and clothes, cutting her face slightly and ripping the delicate silk of her shirt.  
  
All of a sudden Sarah stumbled out of the bushes and into an opening where another two doors stood. Running up to them she notices the knockers. Quickly she knocks on one of the doors and before it is even fully open, Sarah slides herself through. Standing on the other side of the door Sarah looks around, unlike the dead bushes on the other side of the door, these plants are very much alive, in fact the grass had grown so much it was several inches taller than Sarah.  
  
"This is gonna make things A LOT harder!" Said Sarah as she started to fight her way through the tall grass.  
  
  
  
It seemed as though Sarah had been walking for hours when all of a sudden her head began to spin and she started to feel violently sick.  
  
"Eww! That smell!" Sarah shouted. Then she realised where she was.  
  
"The Bog of Eternal Stench!" Exclaimed Sarah as she ran forwards.  
  
However Sarah didn't see the branch on the floor in front of her. She tripped and slid down the small bank towards the bog. Sarah's arms and fingers flied around trying to grab on to anything, but she couldn't reach anything. 


	8. Part 8

Part 8  
  
Suddenly Sarah felt something beneath her fingers and she held on tight. Her body dangled inches above the bog. She swung her legs over and started to crawl to safety. [Well I couldn't let her fall in could I?] Standing up Sarah sees something red and yellow flash before her eyes. See looks around hoping to see something friendly.  
  
"Now we can get her head!" A strange sounding voice said.  
  
"Yeah, lets get her head!" Another voice sounded only deeper, as a several Firery's popped their heads up from the surrounding shrubbery.  
  
Sarah tried to run in the opposite direction without falling into the bog, thinking she could escape if she went back the way she came. She turned round only to see a Firery behind her. It grabbed her by the head and started to pull.  
  
"Ouch!" Sarah shouted "I told you before, my head doesn't come OFF!"  
  
Instead she turned on the Firery and pulled its head off instead and threw it to another one that was coming towards her. She started to run away now she was out of its grasp when yet another Firery tried to stop her. This time she grabbed its head and threw it into the bog. As soon as the head touched the slimey green liquid of the bog everything stopped. The Firerys froze on the spot. Then as if a bomb had exploded they started to run away. Seeing this as her chance Sarah ran in the opposite direction to them.  
  
She kept on walking through the overgrown forest when she came to a small cliff side. Looking down she saw the rubbish tip covered with junk. And beyond that the Goblin City. Setting off she carefully climbed down the rock side and jumped when she was about 10foot off the ground. Sarah climbed over all of the junk carefully looking out for any Goblins that my be hiding under anything. Before long she came to the gates to the goblin city. Expecting to see sleeping guards, Sarah was shocked that the seats next to the gates were empty. In fact, Sarah hadn't seen anyone apart from the Firerys since she'd been here. Thinking this was strange she pushed open the gates to the goblin city and stepped through. 


	9. Part 9

Part 9  
  
As Sarah walked through the first set of gates leading into the Goblin city she saw that the large mechanical monster that had attacked her last time was still standing there. The head was still removed and Sarah could see that there were no goblins inside of it. Thinking it was safe to move on she walked past the monster when all of a sudden the ground started to shake, it was shaking more violently than it ever had before. She grabbed hold of the nearest wall to stop her falling, when clumps of it fell into her hand. Sarah stumbled slightly before falling over onto her knees. As the rumbling and shaking began to die down, Sarah turned over to get up when she noticed the mechanical monster looming above her, creaking unsteadily.  
  
"If it falls." Sarah thought "Its gonna fall on me!"  
  
The moment she thought that the monster started to topple over, Sarah dove out of the way of it and ran through the second set of gates.  
  
As she entered the Goblin City Sarah looked around and the houses. True they weren't neatly built like her house but even now they were worse, with the roofs and walls in piles of rubble all over the streets, and not a sign of a Goblin anywhere. Home she thought. Her mind cast back to her father and Stepmother, and Toby, little Toby. A tear ran down her smooth cheek. That was the first time she had thought about her family since she got here. All of a sudden she wondered how she was going to return home and back with her family. She just assumed if she helped her friends she would be sent home. But thinking now, if Jareth has her friends and she managed to save them, wouldn't that annoy him more? Then she would never return home.  
  
"Maybe that's what I want!" A voice in her head said.  
  
Sarah couldn't deny to even herself that she loved Jareth. He did turn the world upside down for her after all. That must have been hard for even the Goblin King!  
  
"But what about my family?" Another voice said.  
  
She did also love her family a lot. But did it outweigh her love for Jareth? She decided she would have to think about it later because she had her friends and a labyrinth to save.  
  
Sarah started to climb over the rubble, heading towards the castle that was at the centre of the small Goblin City.  
  
Within barely any time at all Sarah had reached the castle. She pulled open the large wooden doors leading into the castle and walked through them. Facing three sets of stairs Sarah pondered which ones to take. She decided to take the central ones, as she knew where they ended.  
  
Sarah ran up the stairs letting her long slender fingers run over the roughness of the bare brick walls. As she came to the top of the staircase she looked into the doorway at the top into the large round-shaped room, the throne room. She looked around the room looking for clues, anything that would help her find her friends. All she saw was the large throne and another staircase to the left. Knowing that that staircase would take her nowhere useful quickly as it was another room with plenty more staircases, she turned and ran back down the plain stone steps.  
  
Once at the bottom Sarah turned back around. She stood staring at the other two staircases for a while, reverting her eyes from each.  
  
"Which one to take?" She asked herself loudly.  
  
"Only one way to find out." She said as she closed her eyes, she raised her left hand slowly and began to spin. Round and round and round she span, her hair flowing out behind her. All of a sudden Sarah stopped abruptly. She opened her eyes and followed her arm and finger to where they were pointing. She raised her head as she followed them and saw that it was pointing to the staircase on the right. Looking as far up the staircase as she could, Sarah began to scale the staircase. Once she was about half way up, Sarah realised this staircase was a lot larger than the other one. She started to slow down wondering if she had picked the right one, this one seemed to go on forever she was thinking. A few seconds later she reached the top of the staircase. As she came to the top she saw a doorway covered by a purple velvet curtain. Sarah pulled the curtain across and saw some familiar shapes standing around a bed. 


	10. Part 10

Part 10  
  
"Hoggle!" Sarah exclaimed, "Ludo! Sir Diddymus! You're okay! Your all okay!"  
  
"Sarah" the little Dwarf said in surprise. "You made it!"  
  
"Yeah I made it Hoggle." She said, "But I thought you were in danger, that's why I came 'cos I couldn't leave you, not if u needed me." Sarah's voice became quiet as she remembered how upset she had been when she thought her friends were in danger.  
  
"But you're okay!" Sarah said confidently, happy that her friends were safe and okay, yet sad because it meant that her whole trip to the Labyrinth had been for nothing!  
  
"But the crystal!" She thought, suddenly remembering the crystal that had shown her friends faces scared and calling to her, the faces that had brought her back to the Labyrinth for the second time. Jareth must have deceived her  
  
"Your journey wasn't a was anyway girl!" She thought, "To got to see my friends again and they're okay. So just enjoy yourself this time because you haven't got a baby brother to save"  
  
"So what have I missed?" She asked her friends after dishing out the hugs to each of them, followed by a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Apart from watching Jareth sleep." Sarah suddenly realised what she said and that it was in fact Jareth's long blonde hair spilling out over the blue silk bed-covers.  
  
"Why are you watching him sleep?" She asked them.  
  
"Oh, he's not just sleeping My Lady." Said Sir Diddymus sadly.  
  
"He's not?"  
  
"No Sarah," Said Hoggle "Jareth's dying"  
  
"Dying? But why? How? Since when?"  
  
Many questions were filling up into her mind. She wanted to ask them all but knew there was a time for that.  
  
"That's why the Labyrinth is also dying with him." Said Hoggle "That is why we called you Sarah. We have taken the liberty of sorting out the bedroom down the hall for you if you want it." He said looking sadly into her eyes "We need you Sarah"  
  
With that a tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"Okay Hoggle, I'll stay, I'll stay as long as you need me!"  
  
A slight smile spread across Hoggle's face, yet the pain we still there in his eyes. "I'll show you the way!"  
  
  
  
Hoggle lead Sarah into another large room not too far away from Jareth's. Although she didn't say anything, Sarah was unsure about sleeping so close to Jareth's room. As she stepped through the large oak door leading into the room, Sarah had to catch her breath, the room was furnished with the richest materials around. It had blood red silk sheets, with heavy red velvet curtains at the large, leaded windows, the largest four poster bed she had ever seen in the centre, and a large stone fireplace facing the bed. Next to the window was a large oak wardrobe that matched the oak bed as well as the oak door. She went over to the window and ran her hand down the curtains, taking the feeling in, she looked out of the window to the rest of the Labyrinth. With a sigh she turned round to Hoggle who was standing in front of a large vanity with different kinds of brushes and make-up on it.  
  
"How did it happen?" She asked Hoggle.  
  
Immediately he knew what she was talking about.  
  
"It started last year, not too long after you left. We all noticed a change in Jareth, he was different, not so mean, he used to take pride in punishing the goblins, just for fun, he was always like that, but after a few months, he never left the castle if he had to, he just sat there in the throne room, by himself. We went to see if he was okay one day and we noticed that he was very thin, thinner than usual, and pale, we got worried so we told him to lie down. He agreed and asked us to help, but as soon as he stood up he just fell. Ludo carried him to his room and he's been like that since. He wakes up from time to time and we feed him and stuff."  
  
"What caused it?" She asked him, sliding her arm around his shoulder  
  
"We'll we really don't know Sarah, we just don't know."  
  
Hoggle slid out of Sarah's embrace and slipped out of the door letting it shut slightly behind him. As she watched the door slide shut she sat on the large, silk covered stool in front of the vanity. She picked up an elegant solid silver brush off the top and was about to start brushing her hair with it when there was a slight knock on the door.  
  
"Come in." She said slightly as Sir Diddymus and Ludo popped their heads around the door.  
  
"Ludo! Sir Diddymus!" she said as she embraced them in firm hug.  
  
"Thank you My Lady." Said Sir Diddymus  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Well, we know Jareth's not exactly your favourite person at the moment, but your staying, staying to help us, and for that we thank you. You see, without Jareth, there is no Labyrinth and without the Labyrinth, there is no us."  
  
"That's what friends are for." Sarah said as a small smile spread across her lips to try and comfort them. True Jareth was not her favourite person but she did love him. She had never told any of them her feelings for him. Maybe she should, maybe this is the time to tell them.  
  
"We are having a welcome back banquet for you my Lady. It will be ready for you in about an hour, the finest food in the land, and all in the aid of you. So dress, well dress as you please My Lady, and we will see you soon."  
  
Sir Diddymus left the room after a slow bow to Sarah, closely followed by Ludo who gave Sarah a large tight hug before he left. She watched him leave through the door, having to stoop so he could fit through the large door frame.  
  
"Sarah back" Ludo had said before he left. This made Sarah smile, the first time she had really smiled in a while, somehow, all of this kind of fitted, like if she was meant to be here.  
  
"Maybe that's it" She said. "Maybe I'm supposed to be here!" As she changed for the banquet they were having for her she wondered how it was possible that she belonged, was it because of her love for Jareth? Or Jareth's love for her? If in fact he did still love her. Or maybe he knew he was dying so made Sarah the heir to the throne so she would have to stay. Sarah frowned at this thought.  
  
"He wouldn't!" She said to her reflection in the mirror as she was about to leave the room in a gorgeous dress she found in the wardrobe.  
  
Or would he? 


	11. Part 11

Part 11  
  
The feast was magnificent. Sir Diddymus had come and escorted her down to the banquet hall. He had bowed to her and she had curtseyed back, then she had walked next to him as he showed the way to the hall. When she had got there, Hoggle and Ludo were already seated and waiting for her. She smiled at them then here eyes followed from them to the table in between, it was filled completely with silver and gold plates and goblets. On the plates she saw that there were many richly prepared foods, fit for a king, there were several platters of different meats, fruits, vegetables, cakes and desserts, some of which she had recognised and others she had never seen before. She sat herself down in the large chair at the top of the table that Hoggle had pulled out for her, making sure she didn't get tangled up in her dress. 


	12. Chapter 12

Here it is. Part 12. I haven't been on to do this lately but I've finally gotten round to doing some more! Hope you enjoy and let me know if it fits in with the rest of the story and if u like it or not!  
  
Part 12  
  
After the feast Sarah was so full she thought that she might split the seams on the lovely dress she had discovered, and after all the goblin wine that was drank to toast her return she just wanted to relax. So she bid the others goodnight and slipped away to bed. Walking up the stairs to her room she passes the velvet curtains over the door of Jareth's room. Not being able to help herself she slipped a hand behind the curtain and pulled it back to reveal the large oak door. She notices that it is slightly ajar so pushes it further, hoping that it didn't creak.  
  
Once opened far enough she slipped her head around the door to check to see if he was still there and still unconscious. When she saw that he was she slipped further into the room making sure to be as quiet as possible... just incase. Walking cautiously to the bed she couldn't help but notice the tightness in her stomach, which she knew had nothing to do with the Goblin wine or the feast. It was because she was seeing Jareth again. Yet seeing him in this state lying in the bed she felt pity for him, yet powerful that now she was the one above him. Yet she also felt fear and hopelessness, if such a strong and powerful man like Jareth could be reduced to this what chance is there for anyone else?  
  
Bushing her fears and thoughts she let her feelings for him to take over and decided she had to see it through with him. She did owe him a lot. Without him she wouldn't have become the woman she is now. She moved closer to his bed moving a clump of hair from his face. Looking at his pale and drawn face she felt more love for him than she ever had.  
  
Suddenly she heard a noise coming up the stairs. She quickly kissed his lips softly then ran out to her room forgetting to close the door and leaving the curtains a mess.  
  
Back in her room she removed the dress and stepped into a nightgown and sat at the dresser looking at her reflection. She started to brush her hair stopping each time to think of Jareth, then realising what she was doing she started to brush again.  
  
The silence of her room was disturbed by a whispering at the door. She dropped the brush and jumped into bed thinking that someone might come in and she didn't really want to talk at the moment. However, Hoggle just slipped his head through the door and then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Sarah heard him say that she was sleeping and heard the footsteps quickly die away.  
  
Before she knew it she drifted into a dreamless sleep. 


End file.
